"I look for a quarterback who can run and not a running back who can throw. I want a quarterback who can beat you with his arm. We are not a Tim Tebow type of quarterback team. I am not going to run my quarterback 20 times on power runs." Chip Kelly, explaining his Oregon Ducks offense back in 2011.
For those of you that don't know, I live in the Tampa Bay area now, and have lived in Florida since 2002. Which means I am right in the middle of "Gator Nation", home to Tim Tebow and jorts.
Back in the middle of Tebowmania, I had to deal with an unconscionable amount of die hard Gator fans trying to convince me that Tim Tebow was the second coming of Joe Montana.
To outsiders who saw Tebow for what he was — a great college quarterback with severe limitations as a pro prospect — the idea that people would ardently defend the pro prospects of a player who has completed less than 50% of his passes seem silly.
But they did. Normally with a blind passion that rivals an overbearing parent trying their best to convince their kid's little league coach that benching their little Johnny was a bad idea because it would ruin his shot at the big leagues.
Thankfully, Tebow's hiatus from the league has provided a much needed reality check to most of Tebow's fans. Yes, there are still some people out there that are apparently impervious to his shortcomings:
Caller a moment ago on @SportsRadioWIP:"Tim Tebow will become the Eagles franchise QB, & lead them to the Superbowl".
— jon johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) April 21, 2015
But by in large, most people just want to see Tebow get another chance to pursue his lifelong dream. And I cannot fault them for that, especially when Tebow is, by all accounts, a genuinely good person.
I just wish it was on someone else's team.
Look, this is nothing against Tebow. If we look at the signing in a vacuum, I think it is a smart move. He was paid the league minimum by the Eagles, and that meager salary (by NFL's standards at least) does not become fully guaranteed unless and until he makes the roster.
In other words, this was a classic low risk, mid-level reward type signing. In terms of helping to set a culture, you would be hard pressed to find a better locker room guy than Tim Tebow.
But roster moves are not made in a vacuum. They are made in a world where the NFL is king, and Tim Tebow is first in line to the throne.
Which is what concerns me most about this move. While Tebow is a good guy — a great guy for that matter — is he really worth the distractions? Yes, the aforementioned fans have calmed down to a degree. But if Bradford gets hurt (again) and Mark Sanchez starts to struggle? Then what?
It says here that when you perform a cost benefit analysis of Tebow's talent versus the distractions that he brings, the talent ledger comes up woefully short.
While some have suggested that the idea that Tebow is a distraction is being overstated, I for the life of me cannot remember the last time Mike & Mike dedicated multiple segments to a third string quarterback signing with a team.
I have never seen a third string quarterback signing with a team trending on Twitter at a rate of 98,000 tweets per hour.
I cannot remember a third string quarterback immediately becoming the most searched player in sports within hours after signing for a team:
Top searched player by potential consumers on @fanatics since last night? Yep, Tim Tebow.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 20, 2015
I do not recall this type of coverage:
Tebow (possibly the 3rd string QB) makes front and back page. All over talk radio. But WE are the media circus. Lol pic.twitter.com/l6yWbjuN4B
— John Barr ESPN (@JohnBarrESPN) April 20, 2015
Or a restaurant rolling out — within less than 24 hours no less — delicious looking soft pretzels in the shape of the now infamous "Tebowing" pose. (In the infamous words of Ron Burgandy, I'm not even mad. That's just impressive).
Again, none of this is Tebow's fault. He did not ask for this type of cult status. But he has it. And when non-traditional media outlets run articles on the Tebow signing — or worse, when my mother-in-law texts me about Tebow to the Eagles — you know this story transcends the typical sports bubble with which we operate. And unfortunately for Tebow and the Eagles, this media circus is likely going to continue for as long as Tebow wears Eagles green.
It is not just the media circus per se that can cause an issue, but the resulting tension it creates in the locker room is also problematic. Think of it this way: you are a starter on the Eagles busting your a** every week trying to help your team win games, and the first question you get asked by a reporter every. single. week. is whether you think Tim Tebow deserves a shot to play. Maybe you brush it off after week one. But by week six?
It happened in New York, where players became so sick of the distraction they started taking shots at Tebow through media outlets.
And while I think, no, I know, that Chip Kelly does a better job at creating a positive locker room atmosphere than Rex Ryan, it is still fair to wonder whether the Eagles are creating unnecessary headaches for themselves.
That is especially true after the offseason the Eagles just had. On the heels of jettisoning DeSean Jackson, the Eagles let go Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin. What was once a promising core of young, exciting talent, is all gone.
Standing in their place is a group that has the potential to be just as good, but carries with it considerable risk for injury (Bradford, Mathews), breaking down because of an absurdly high usage rate (Murray), and/or not reaching their potential (Matthews, Huff).
Adding Tebow to the mix just seems like an unnecessary distraction.
Hopefully this is all for naught. If this thing plays out like I expect it to, Tebow will be back at the SEC Network by August, and the Eagles will be able to focus on what matters most: winning.
But if Tebow defies the odds — something he has done throughout his football life — the Eagles could be in for a season that more closely resembles Any Given Sunday than an actual football team.
Below is a flavor of social medias reaction to the Tebow signing:
With the Tim Tebow signing official, all that is left is the #Eagles signing up for HBO's Hardknocks for the circus to be complete.
— Patrick (@PhillySportsJD) April 21, 2015
I had this weird dream that the Eagles traded a 2nd round pick for a QB coming off 2 ACL surgeries, and then signed Tim Tebow.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) April 20, 2015
Im now convinced that Chip just like to mess with people….
— Mike Missanelli (@MikeMiss975) April 20, 2015
Tebow move makes perfect sense: Use him as trade bait to get the No. 1 pick & Mariota. Probably don't even have to include anything else.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) April 19, 2015
And shout out to reader Pat Scott, for this comment on our article about the Eagles signing Tebow. Well done:
Patrick Causey is a writer for Eagledelphia.com and can be followed on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
